System and method for providing advertising and content in a distributed internet access environment

ABSTRACT

A method, system, and computer program product that enables persistent display of advertising and other service provider content during access via a gateway access system to third party content on a separate network. A connection is established between a personal computing device (PCD) and the gateway access system. When a gateway server of the gateway access system detects a request from the PCD to access and display third party content from a third party content provider on the background network, the gateway server proxies the third party content and dynamically displays the third party content along with a second content on the display of the PCD. The second content is content provided by a service provider (SP) of the gateway access system (SP content), such as advertisements, for example, and the SP content is provided in a persistent fashion on the display of the PCD.

PRIORITY CLAIM

Benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) is claimed based on U.S.Provisional Application No. 60/765,267, entitled, “System and Method forProviding Advertising and Content in a Distributed Internet AccessEnvironment,” filed on Feb. 4, 2006, which disclosure is incorporatedherein by reference.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to the following co-pending U.S.patent applications filed on even date herewith incorporated herein byreference in their entirety: Ser. No. 11/______ (WAYPORT.000003US2),entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING PERSISTENT ADVERTISING WITHTHIRD PARTY CONTENT IN A DISTRIBUTED INTERNET ACCESS ENVIRONMENT”

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention generally relates to the field of network accessproviders and in particular to the field of providing distributednetwork access via gateways. Still more specifically, the presentinvention relates to the field of providing content during networkaccess via gateway(s) of an network access provider.

2. Description of the Related Art

Several Internet service providers (ISPs) provide services at publicvenues such as hotels, airports, and restaurants. Where the ISP isaccessible via wireless access, the area at which the access signal isdetectable is called a “hot-spot”. ISPs may also provide distributedaccess in metropolitan area networks (MANs) or other venues. Enablingaccess at these venues/locations is typically implemented using anaccess system that includes a wired or wireless access point and agateway.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example configuration of a gateway access systemutilized to provide a personal computing device (PCD) 105 of a user withaccess to a background network, such as the Internet 150, via an accesspoint in a public venue/location. As shown, the gateway access system100 comprises network distribution unit (NDU) 110, which represents thewired or wireless access point of the ISP at the location. PCD 105 isshown in wireless connection with NDU 110 in FIG. 1, but can be coupledthrough a wired connection in alternative embodiments. Gateway accesssystem 100 of the ISP also comprises access control gateway 120, whichcontrols whether a user is allowed to connect to the Internet 150.Access control gateway 120 controls the connection to the Internet 150through a firewall 130, which blocks internet access until certainconditions are met. For example, internet access may be blocked until:(a) the user provides appropriate authorization parameters (login ID,password, and/or other login credentials); and/or (b) the user pays forthe access (assuming the access is not free); and/or (c) the userotherwise agrees to terms of use. Firewall 130 executes on gateway webserver 140, and provides the mechanism that completes the conditionalblocking/unblocking of access to the Internet 150. The gateway 120,gateway web server 140 and firewall 130 may be proximal to thevenue/location of the NDU 110 and/or PCD 105, or remotely located.

Personal computing device (PCD) 105 is a user device, utilized to accessthe access point (NDU 110) and ultimately the Internet 150. PCD 105 maybe a laptop or other internet-ready device, such as a handheld computer,or “Wi-Fi” (Wireless Fidelity) phone, a Wi-Fi enabled game device, orother similar system. PCD 105 is configured with a wired or wirelessnetwork interface card and a web browser that displays web pages viastandard hypertext transfer protocol (http) and/or secure http (https),for example. PCD 105 thus connects to NDU 110 via wired or wirelessconnection.

After establishing the communication with the PCD 105 (via NDU 110 andaccess control gateway 120), the gateway web server 140 directs the PCD105 to a “connection” page hosted on the gateway web server 140 tocomplete an initial connection process. This process typically occurswhen a web browser is opened on the PCD 105 and before the PCD 105 isallowed to browse third party web pages on the Internet. The connectionpage presents user connection options, prompts for payment, terms ofuse, and other features, which are displayed within the web browser ofthe PCD 105. As shown in FIG. 2, there may be several gateway pages 215(numbered “pages 1-L”) that are displayed to the user on the ISP's webserver 140 during the initial connection process. With these pages 215,the user of PCD 105 is able to accepting the terms and/or input paymentinformation (e.g. credit card number), user information and/or otherrequested information. After the user completes interacting with thegateway pages 215 (and enters the requested information), the firewallblocking the access to the Internet 150 is removed, and the user maythen utilize PCD 105 to browse third party web pages 225 via theInternet 150.

In conventional implementations of these gateway access systems, severalnetwork service providers (or gateway providers) provide some form ofadvertising content to the user during the credential/login process. Theadvertising may be provided within the connection page(s), on one ormore of the gateway pages 215, or during the period after completing theinitial connection process but prior to displaying the content of thefirst third-party web page 225 requested by the user.

The current state of the art in providing advertising by the serviceprovider (SP) is to gather information on the customer during theinitial connection process and to optionally provide advertising,specialized content, or other items of interest to the customer via thegateway pages 1-L (215), which are displayed during the initialconnection process. With these conventional gateway access systems,however, after the initial connection process, the ISP “relinquishescontrol” of the PCD 105 and the SP has no further way of presentingadvertising or other content to the user without interrupting a sessionwith a message window placed on top of screen currently displayed on thePCD 105 (e.g. a time expired warning message).

One method has been proposed to enable delivery of further “advertising”content to the user following the initial connection process. In thismethod, the SP relays information about the user or the PCD (e.g.,location) to other partners that provide web services on the Internet.Then, if the user happens to visit the website(s) of one of thepartners, the partner's web site(s) is able to recognize the user ofsome characteristic of the user or PCD and display specific, targetedinformation to the user while the user is browsing the partner's site.This targeted advertising is based solely on known information aboutthat user or user's PCD, which are collected during the connectionprocess, and requires the user browse to the partner's web site.

An obvious limitation of this method is that information (e.g.,advertising content) can only be displayed to the user if the userhappens to browse to that particular partner's website(s). Given themillions of websites that are on the Internet, the likelihood of anyuser of the gateway access system actually visiting even one of thepartner's web site(s) is relatively small. Thus, as is made clear by theabove descriptions, the state of the art in providingSP-directed/influenced content to users who utilize the existing gatewayaccess systems is severely limited. The existing gateway systems have nopractical way of offering advertising while the user is browsing theInternet following the initial connection process.

OVERVIEW OF EMBODIMENTS

Disclosed are a method, system, and computer program product that enablepersistent display of advertising and other service provider contentduring access via a gateway access system to third party content on aseparate network. A connection is established between a personalcomputing device (PCD) and the gateway access system. When a gatewayserver of the gateway access system detects a request from the PCD toaccess and display third party content from a third party contentprovider on the background network, the gateway server proxies the thirdparty content and dynamically displays the third party content alongwith a second content on the display of the PCD. The second content(also referred to as Service Provider (SP) content) is content providedby a service provider of the gateway access system, and the secondcontent is provided in a persistent fashion on the display of the PCD.

In one embodiment, the process for dynamically displaying the thirdparty content along with persistent second content includes dividing thedisplay area into at least two non-overlapping areas, which includes afirst area and at least a second area. The first area that provides thebest orientation of the first content on the display is determined, andthe third party content is oriented/placed within the first area. Thesecond content is then displayed within the second area on the display.

In yet another embodiment, when the first content is retrieved from thethird party content provider, the first content is held at the gatewayserver as proxied content. The gateway server then selects theappropriate second content from a database of second content. Theorientation of the second content, relative to the proxied content, onthe display enables the entire display to be utilized. Further, both theproxied content and the second content are simultaneously forwarded tothe PCD for display so that the PCD simultaneously displays bothcontents as a single retrieved content provided in response to therequest. Also, in one embodiment, if an adjustment of the view of thefirst content occurs at the PCD, such as a scrolling down or up or ascroll sideways, the location of the second content is re-positioned,relative to the new view, to provide minimum interference with theviewing of the first content on the display.

In an alternative embodiment, rather than provide the second content ina separate location on the display, the second content is merged intothe first content to generate a single resulting content view, which isthen displayed as a single resulting content on the display of the PCD.

Establishing a connection between the PCD and gateway access system iscompleted via an initial connection process. During the initialconnection process, the gateway server generates a prompt on the PCD forselection, by the user, of a first option to enable access to anddisplay of requested third party content without the second content.When the first option is selected, requested third party content isdisplayed without concurrent display of the second content. The firstoption may require payment of a fee (or a higher fee), and if so, thefee is received prior to enabling the access to and display of thirdparty content without the second content being concurrently displayed.Accordingly, with this embodiment, displaying the third party contentwith the second content (i.e., the proxied access option) is a default,standard option.

In a related embodiment, if during the PCD access session (with secondcontent concurrently displayed), an attempt is detected (at the PCD) tominimize, hide, or close the second content on the display, a message isgenerated on the PCD display prompting for selection of the first optionto enable access to and display of requested third party content withoutsecond content. The appropriate fee is then collected when the firstoption is selected. In another related embodiment, different levels ofoptions may be selected ranging from no concurrent display of secondcontent to persistent display of second content, each level having anassociated fee. Additionally, one embodiment enables intermittentpersistence of the second content, where the second content is displayedfor only a pre-set period of time during the display of the firstcontent and is hidden for the remaining period of time.

In one embodiment, the network includes the Internet connected to thegateway server, and the first content is a web page provided by a website accessible via the Internet. Also, in one embodiment, the secondcontent is an advertisement provided by the service provider or abusiness partner of the service provider. In the latter embodiment, thepartner may be charged a fee for the posting of the partner'sadvertisement with the third party web page. The amount of the fee maybe based on actual usage of the advertisement during accesses by PCDs tothe gateway access system.

The above as well as additional objectives, features, and advantages ofthe present invention will become apparent in the following detailedwritten description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, furtherobjects, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference tothe following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment whenread in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an accesssystem that enables public access to the Internet (or backgroundnetwork) via a Service Provider (SP) gateway, according to the priorart;

FIG. 2 illustrates independent access of a personal computing device(PCD) to gateway pages and Internet pages, respectively, using theaccess system of FIG. 1, according to the prior art;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram representation of an ISP server within whichvarious features of the present invention may advantageously beimplemented, according to one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a gatewayaccess system that controls public access to an Internet-connected thirdparty web server via a Service Provider gateway, according to oneembodiment of the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example initial connection page of a gatewayaccess system with selectable options for enabling proxying of requestedweb page and addition/removal of SP content, according to one embodimentof the invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates example web pages displayed within a PCD's webbrowser with SP content frame oriented along vertical and horizontaledges of the third party web page, according to embodiments of theinvention;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example re-constituted third party web page whichincludes embedded SP content, according to one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the gateway access system configuredto enable addition of advertising and other secondary content to thedisplay of a third party web page retrieved directly from the thirdparty web server (or web site), according to one embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating the process of adding SP content toa third-party web page that is retrieved via the gateway access system,according to an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating the process of determining theorientation of the third-party web page's content relative to SP contenton a proxy web page provided by the gateway web server, according to oneembodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating the method of enabling userselection of a direct access or proxied web access experience whenviewing a third-party web page via an ISP gateway, according to oneembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT

The described embodiments of the present invention provide a method,system, and computer program product for providing advertising and/orother content in a distributed internet access environment. Theadvertising and/or other content is provided during access to a thirdparty web site via a gateway Service Provider (SP) portal. The SPconfigures the gateway web server to act as a web proxy server, whichproxies the third party web pages that are requested on a user'spersonal computing device (PCD), which is connected to the Internet viathe gateway access system. The gateway web server adds advertising orother content/items of interest to these web pages (SP content), and theweb pages are then presented on the PCD's display with the added contentdisplayed in a persistent manner. The embodiments provide a novel methodof offering these advertising and other services in a persistent fashionafter the customer's initial connection experience.

In the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments, specificexemplary embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable thoseskilled in the art to practice the invention, and it is to be understoodthat other embodiments may be utilized and that logical, architectural,programmatic, mechanical, electrical and other changes may be madewithout departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Thefollowing detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in alimiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined onlyby the appended claims.

Within the descriptions of the figures, similar elements are providedsimilar names and reference numerals as those of the previous figure(s).Where a later figure utilizes the element in a different context or withdifferent functionality, the element is provided a different leadingnumeral, representative of the figure number (e.g, 4 xx for FIG. 4 and 5xx for FIG. 5). The specific numerals assigned to the elements areprovided solely to aid in the description and not meant to imply anylimitations (structural or functional) on the invention.

It is further understood that the use of specific parameter names arefor example only and not meant to imply any limitations on theembodiments. The embodiments may thus be implemented with differentnomenclature/terminology utilized to describe the above parameters,without limitation. Within the description, Service Provider (SP)content refers to any type of content, whether advertisements, links toadvertisements, links to other web pages, general information, data, andthe like that is provided within the SP frame and displayed in apersistent fashion on the PCD's web browser along with the third partyweb page. In one embodiment, the SP content is described as being storedin a database associated with the gateway web server. Also, as utilizedherein, the term “frame” (e.g., SP content frame) may refer, in variousembodiments, to a structure within which visible content (e.g., text,graphic, multimedia) may be displayed within a web browser window and/oron a display screen of a computing device. The term “frame” may includea standard web frame, an inline frame (iframe), a window, or similarcomponent, and may be generated by a process such as an application oran operating system within a data processing system.

Referring now to FIG. 3, there is depicted a block diagramrepresentation of a data processing system (and connected network) thatmay be utilized as the gateway web server (or gateway server, forshort), in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. As described ingreater detail below, gateway server 300 controls the gateways 420 andprovides and/or controls the content that may be displayed on and/oraccess by the PCDs 405 connected to the gateways 420. Gateway server 300may also be referred to SP server, as the gateway server is assumed tobe owned or controlled by the service provider, in one embodiment.

As shown, gateway server 300 comprises at least one processor or centralprocessing unit (CPU) 310 connected to system memory 315 via systeminterconnect/bus 305. Also connected to system bus 305 is I/O controller320, which provides connectivity and control for input devices, of whichpointing device (or mouse) 321 and keyboard 323 are illustrated, andoutput devices, of which display 325 is illustrated. Additionally, amultimedia drive 327 (e.g., CDRW or DVD drive) and USB (universal serialbus) hub 329 are illustrated, coupled to I/O controller. Multimediadrive 327 and USB hub 327 may operate as both input and output (storage)mechanisms. Gateway server 300 also comprises storage 352, within whichdata/instructions/code utilized to provide the gateway web pages and/oradvertising or other SP content (as described below) may be stored.

Gateway server 300 is also illustrated with a network interface device(NID) 360, with which gateway server 300 connects to an access network(365) of gateways 420 and to the Internet 450. Gateways 420 providephysical access points for connection (wired or wireless) to PCDs 405.Gateway server 300 connects with other third party servers 455 over theInternet 450, and the Internet 450 is also made accessible to the PCDs405 via the ISP gateways 420.

In the described embodiments, Internet 450 is a worldwide collection ofnetworks and gateways that utilize the Transmission ControlProtocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of protocols to communicatewith one another. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciatethat the hardware depicted in FIG. 3 is a basic illustration of an ISPserver, and thus the hardware utilized in actual implementation mayvary. Thus, the depicted example is not meant to imply architecturallimitations with respect to the present invention.

Notably, in addition to the above described hardware components ofgateway server 300, various features of the invention are completed viasoftware code stored within memory 315 or other storage (e.g., storage352) and executed by CPU 310. Thus, illustrated within memory 315 are anumber of software components, including operating system (OS) 330(e.g., Microsoft Windows®, a trademark of Microsoft Corp, orGNU®/Linux®, registered trademarks of the Free Software Foundation andThe Linux Mark Institute), gateway applications 335, firewall 337,gateway web pages 340, and Proxied WebPage Presentation (PWP) utility345. In actual implementation, PWP utility 345, server controlledgateway applications 335 and ISP web pages 340 may be combined as asingle application collectively providing the various functions of eachindividual software component when the corresponding code is executed bythe CPU 310. For simplicity, PWP utility 345 is illustrated anddescribed as a stand alone or separate software component, whichprovides specific functions, as described below.

CPU 310 executes PWP utility 345 as well as OS 330, which supports theuser interface features of PWP utility 345. In the illustrativeembodiment, PWP utility 345 generates/provides several graphical userinterfaces (GUI) to enable user interaction with, or manipulation of,advertising or other SP-supplied content provided to a PCD 405 via thegateway(s) 420. Among the software code/instructions provided by PWPutility 345, and which are specific to the invention, are: (a) code forprompting for and enabling user selection of whether to displayadvertising and other SP content along with third party web pages; (b)code for generating and displaying a proxy (re-creation) of a thirdparty web page that is re-oriented within the PCD's browser; and (c)code for enabling the concurrent, (and non-overlapping) persistentdisplay of advertising or other SP-supplied content along with the thirdparty web page on the PCD's browser. For simplicity of the description,the collective body of code that enables these various features isreferred to herein as PWP utility 345. According to the illustrativeembodiment, when CPU 310 executes PWP utility 345, ISP server 300initiates a series of functional processes that enable the abovefunctional features as well as additional PAC features/functionality,which are described below within the description of FIGS. 4-11.

With reference now to FIG. 4, which illustrates an example network (orgateway) access system utilized to provide a user's PCD (405) withaccess (wireless or wired), via a gateway access point, to web pages ofa third party web server 455 connected to the Internet 450. As shown,the network access system 400 comprises network distribution unit (NDU)410, which represents the wired or wireless access point of the ISP atthe specific location. Network access system 400 of the service provideralso comprises access control gateway 420, which controls whether a useris allowed to connect to the gateway web server 300 and ultimately theInternet 450. The access control gateway 420 controls the connectionthrough firewall 430, which blocks internet access until certainconditions are met. For example, internet access may be blocked until:(a) the user provides appropriate authorization parameters (login ID,password, and/or other login credentials); and/or (b) the customer paysfor the access; and/or (c) the user otherwise agrees to terms of use forthe access. Firewall 337 executes on gateway web server 300 and providesthe mechanism that completes the conditional blocking/unblocking ofaccess to the Internet 150. The gateway 420, gateway web server 300 andfirewall 337 may be proximal to the venue/location of the NDU 410 and/orPCD 405 or these components/devices may be located remotely from the NDU410.

Access to the gateway 420 and ultimately the Internet 450 is completedusing a customer device, personal computing device (PCD) 405. PCD 405may be a laptop or other internet-ready device, such as a handheldcomputer, or “Wi-Fi” (Wireless Fidelity) phone, a Wi-Fi enabled gamedevice, or other similar system. PCD 405 is configured with a wired orwireless network interface card and a web browser that displays webpages via standard hypertext transfer protocol (http) and/or secure http(https), for example. PCD 405 thus connects to NDU 410 via wired orwireless connection.

After establishing the communication with the PCD 405 (via NDU 410 andaccess control gateway 420), the gateway web server 300 directs the PCD405 to a “connection” page hosted on the gateway web server 300 tocomplete an initial connection process. This process occurs when a webbrowser is first opened on the PCD 405 and before the PCD 405 is allowedto browse third party web pages on the Internet 450. The connectionpages present user connection options, prompts for payment, terms ofuse, and other features, which are displayed within the web browser ofthe PCD 405.

During the initial connection process, the various connection pages aredisplayed to the user on the PCD's display. The user of PCD 405interacts with these pages and is able to accepting the terms and/orinput payment information (e.g. credit card number), user informationand/or other requested information. After the user completes interactingwith the connection pages (and enters the requested information), thefirewall 337 blocking the access to the Internet 450 is removed, and thePCD 405 may then be utilized to browse third party web pages via theInternet 150. According to the embodiments of the invention, the contentof the third party web pages are displayed along with SP-suppliedcontent (SP content), such as advertisements, which are displayed in apersistent manner on the PCD's display. FIG. 4 shows a path throughgateway web server 300 by which a requested web page is retrieved from athird party web server and proxied at the gateway web server 300. Alsoillustrated is an example transmission path for both the proxied contentand SP content from gateway web server 300 to the PCD 405. Both theproxied content and the SP content are then concurrentlyoutputted/displayed within the PCD display 406.

In one embodiment, in addition to providing connection pages for theuser to complete entry of payment and other connection informationduring the initial connection process, the user is also provided anotification of the addition of the persistent SP content within thestandard (proxied access) connection experience. That is, during theconnection process, PWP utility 345 provides a notification of thisfeature, and PWP utility may also provide the user with the option ofelecting to not have the SP content added to the user's connectionexperience. FIG. 5 illustrates an example “Welcome and Selections” page500 with a corresponding welcome and selection message 510. Welcome andSelections page 500 also includes a prompt of two selectable options,namely “Direct access” option 505 and “Proxied access” option 515. Asprovided, each option has an associated fee, with Direct access option505 having a higher fee ($9.99) than the fee ($5.00) for Proxied accessoption 515. In the illustrative embodiment, each option (505 and 515)has an associated definition box (506 and 516), which explains what theparticular option means. The definition boxes (506, 516) are hiddenuntil the user places a pointer over (or otherwise selects) theparticular option. Thus, when the user places the pointer (or “leftclicks” on) “Direct access” option 505, the corresponding Direct accessdefinition1 box 506 opens on the display screen 500. Likewise, when theuser places the pointer (or right clicks on) “Proxied access” option515, the corresponding “Proxied access” definition2 box 806 opens on thedisplay screen 500.

In one embodiment, the user may be given the option to pay anintermediate or reduced amount for limited advertisements. As shown,access via the proxied access option may be provided for a reduced/lowerfee. However, in one embodiment, the lost revenue from the reduced feeis offset by the cost of the advertising charged to the advertiser. Inone embodiment, the advertisers (also referred to as business partnersof the SP) are charged a usage fee. With this embodiment, the gatewayweb server tracks and stores the number of times and/or adds the totallength of time the SP content of that business partner is displayed onPCDs connected to the network access system. The SP then charges thebusiness partner based on the usage using a pre-determined formula. Mostusers of PCDs at these public access points are more concerned aboutreducing the cost of access rather than the inconvenience of having toview a few advertisements while they are browsing the Internet. Thus,the proxied access option is likely to be widely utilized, making theimplementation of this persistent SP content feature a good avenue foradvertising to large numbers of users.

Alternatively, rather than reduce the standard fee, a higher than normalfee may be charged to users who select the direct access option. Thus,if the customer really does not wish to view advertising or other SPcontent during the user's access to the background network (Internet450), the user pays a premium to utilize the service without receivingthe SP content. The user thus views the retrieved third party web pagesin their normal orientation and size, as provided by the third party webserver 455.

Some embodiments of the invention may be implemented without providingthe user with an option to not have the SP content displayed. Theembodiment presented in FIG. 5 and described herein is thus meant solelyfor example and not intended to limit the use of alternative embodimentsthat do not implement this option-selection feature.

In FIG. 5, when the direct access option 505 is selected, the gatewayweb server provides the user with direct access to the Internet. Theuser is then able to view third party web pages without having apersistent SP content frame (described below) displayed on the PCDdisplay and without receiving the web page as a proxy web page that isadjusted in size make room for concurrently displaying the SP contentframe. For those users who do not select the direct access option(perhaps because of the cheaper fee for the proxied access option), allsubsequent download requests for web pages by that PCD to third partyweb sites results in the return of a proxied web page from the gatewayserver 300. The PCD's web browser is modified to include a display ofboth an SP content frame along with the proxied web page. Examples ofthis latter implementation are illustrated by FIGS. 7 and 8, which aredescribed below.

Following the initial connection process, gateway web server 300 detectseach request from the connected PCD 405 to access/retrieve a third partyweb page from the third party web server 455. The request may beprovided via one of several methods, including, but not limited to: (a)entry of a web address of the third party web page within the webbrowser of the PCD 405; (b) clicking on a link that opens the thirdparty web page; and (c) selecting an identifier within a favorite's listthat links to the third party web page. Once the third party web page islocated, PWP utility 345 of gateway web server 300 intervenes in thedownload of the web page, “intercepts” the download, and proxies the webpage on the gateway web server 440. PWP utility 345 configures theproxied web page to fit on a display area that is smaller than the fullarea of the PCD's display. PWP utility 345 assigns the remaining displayarea to selected SP content, which is selected from available SP contentwithin the content storage 352 (FIG. 3).

PWP utility 345 of gateway server 300 controls what SP content isprovided for display within the SP content frame 620. PWP utility 345operates to configure the gateway web server 300 as a web proxy serverthat serves as a proxy for displaying web pages from third party webservers 455. As seen in the various figures, the proxy server (gatewayweb server 300) is made transparent to the PCD's normal browsingexperience; however, an additional SP content frame 620 is added anddisplayed at predetermined locations (see FIG. 6) on the web browserrelative to the requested third party web page, which is proxied anddisplayed in another window within the web browser.

The SP content selected for posting within SP content frame 620 may beselected based on known information about the user and/or the PCD, suchas the known geographic location of the PCD (for example, by determiningthe location of NDU 410), and/or user demographic information. In oneembodiment, PWP utility 345 may also examine the proxied web page 610and search for key words, which keywords then determine the type ofcontent selected to provide within the SP content frame 620. In yetanother embodiment, PWP utility 345 applies other pattern recognitionengines, and modifies the content that is displayed in the SP contentframe 620 based on that information.

Specific content may be selected without consideration of thePCD's/user's information or the information (keywords) retrieved fromthe proxied web page. For example, the Service Provider may partner withother content providers to provide links or other advertising contentfor posting within the SP content frame. By using the gateway web server300 as a proxy server, the SP is able to retain control over the user'saccess experience (e.g., what SP content is provided to the user's PCD)after the initial connection process.

This SP content may be “paid for” content, such as advertisements. Thatis, a third party advertiser (or content provider) may pay the ServiceProvider to provide/display the content to the user(s) of the ServiceProvider's gateway access system. The fees charged provide an addedrevenue stream for the Service Provider and may help subsidize the costof the user's connection to the gateway access system. Thus, in oneembodiment, advertising revenue to the ISP for providing the SP contentto the user(s) may be used by the Service Provider to offset the pricethat the user would otherwise have to pay for using the access point (toaccess third party web pages and/or the Internet) if such user accesswas provided without the advertising.

FIG. 6 illustrates four possible configurations of a proxied web pageand SP content frame relative to each other within a web browser of PCD405, in accordance with embodiments of the invention. As shown in eachdepiction of web browser 500, proxied web page 610 is displayed within afirst area of the PCD display screen. Also displayed within a remainingarea of web browser 600 on the PCD display screen is SP content frame620, which provides SP content from gateway web server 440.

Whenever the web browser 600 is open and displays a proxied web page 610from the gateway web server 300, the proxied web page 610 is displayedalong with the SP content (such as an advertisement) within SP contentframe 620. The selected SP content is displayed in a pre-set spatiallocation relative to the web page content (e.g., above, below, or to theright or left of the web page content), based on the location of the SPcontent frame 620. Thus, the first two web browsers 600 of FIG. 6illustrate that the SP content frames 620 may be oriented above (620)the proxied web page 610 (or display screen) or below (621) the proxiedweb page 610, respectively. The final two web browsers 600 illustratethat the proxy frame 620 may be placed on the right (622) of the webpage 610 or, alternatively, on the left (623) of the web page 610.

The location of the SP content frame (620) relative to the proxy webpage 610 may be determined by factors related to one or more of (a) thecharacteristics (such as display requirements) of the content beingpresented in the web page (e.g., wide content or long content, text orgraphic), (b) the characteristics (such as display requirements) of thecontent to be provided within the SP content frame (e.g., text orgraphic, for example), and (c) the size of the PCD's display, andothers.

According to one embodiment, SP content frame 620 is “persistent”, inthat SP content frame 620 cannot be closed, hidden, or minimized whiledisplaying web browser 600. However, in one embodiment, the SP contentwithin the SP content frame (620) may be changed periodically, and thatchange of SP content may be made independent of changes to the contentof the proxied web page 610.

In another embodiment, the persistence of the SP content frame isintermittent. That is, the SP content frame may be displayed only partof the time the web page is displayed and may fade in/out at presetperiods (every 30 seconds) and/or remain visible for a pre-set period(15 seconds) to allow the user of the PCD 405 to view the content. Forexample, the SP content frame may be displayed only during the initialdisplay of the proxied web page and then removed after a pre-set timeperiod (e.g., 60 seconds) has elapsed. Additionally, in anotherembodiment, display of the SP content frame may be tied to specificportions of the proxied web page, such that the SP content frame isdisplayed only when the user views that particular portions/content ofthe web page. When the user scrolls away from that portion of theproxied web page, the SP content frame is removed from the display.

In one implementation, the user may be permitted to change the locationof the SP content frame (perhaps via a drag operation) to anothervisible portion of the web browser. The PWP utility 345 detects thechange of location on the web browser of the SP content frame andre-orients the proxy web page relative to the new location of the SPcontent frame.

In yet another embodiment, PWP utility 345 may dynamically change thelocation of the SP content frame relative to the proxy web page based ona detected change in the proxy web page. When the proxy web page isbeing scrolled downwards or upwards or left or right, the PWP utility345 detects the direction of the scroll and changes the location of theSP content frame away from the direction of the scroll. By dynamicallyperforming this change, PWP utility 345 ensures that the SP contentframe provide minimal interference with the user's experience when theuser is interacting with the proxied web page.

Within the illustrative examples (FIG. 6), SP content frame 620 issmaller than the main proxied web page 610. In one embodiment, gateway440 is configured so that, as long as the SP content frame 620 is openand is displaying advertisements or SP content, the firewall rules foraccessing web pages on third party web server 455 remain applicable.Upon closing, minimizing or otherwise hiding the SP content frame 620,the gateway 440 may close the firewall, terminate the access session,and force the user to re-open the SP content frame 620 if the userwishes to continue browsing the Internet or accessing third party webpages.

Alternatively, in the embodiment in which the user has the option ofpaying additional fees for an direct access option, the user whoinitially selects the proxied access option with advertisement may laterdecide to select the direct access option or may attempt to close,minimize or hide the SP content frame 620. When this occurs, the PWPutility 345 generates and displays a prompt requesting the user pay anadditional fee to view the third party web pages without the SP contentframe 620. The user may then select whether to proceed by paying theadditional fee to proceed without the SP content frame or not paying theadditional fee, in which case the standard display of the proxied webpage with the SP content frame continues to be presented on the webbrowser.

As an alternative method, the SP content frame 620 may be configured toperiodically prompt the user to click on a link on the SPE contentwindow 620 or to answer a question (e.g. which product feature the userlikes better). Responses to the web links that are clicked or answers toquestions may then be stored in storage 352 for later use. In oneimplementation, the users periodic response enables the user to continueaccessing the Internet for free or for a reduced fee, and thus the useris motivated to keep the SP content frame 620 open and/or respond toperiodic questions/prompts during the access session.

Turning now to FIG. 7, which illustrates a re-constituted web page inwhich the SP content is incorporated into the content of there-constituted web page, according to one embodiment. With are-constituted web page, the gateway web server 300 intercepts the thirdparty web page and adds the SP content within the web page, rather thanwithin a separate SP content frame (FIG. 6). As shown, web browser 700includes a new re-constituted web page 710 in which the SP content 720is integrated as a part of re-constituted web page 710 on web browser700. PWP utility 345 breaks apart and “re-configures” the proxied webpage to include SP content 720 and then provides the proxied web page asa re-constituted web page 710. The reconstituted web page 710 is thenprovided within the displayed web browser 700.

The above described embodiments of the invention may be advantageouslyapplied to web pages retrieved from third party web sites that do notrestrict either (a) the use of framed content or (b) re-displayingcontent (not in the original published form) without explicit permissionof the site owner. However, for web sites with one or both of the aboverestrictions, a different embodiment of the invention is provided. FIG.8 illustrates one method for getting around the above pair ofrestrictions (with respect to providing framed web page content orre-displaying web page content). The method of FIG. 8 utilizes atwo-window display within the PCD display in which a first windowdisplays the third party web page and a second, SP content windowdisplays the SP content.

Specifically, FIG. 8 illustrates a network access system in which athird party web page 810 is presented on the display device (806) of PCD405 (FIG. 4). The display device 806 is hereinafter referred to as PCDdisplay 806. As shown by FIG. 8, third party web page 810 is retrievedfrom third party web server 455, which is accessed on the Internet 450via network access system (400). When third party web page 810 isretrieved from third party web server 455, gateway web server 300forwards SP content window 820 to be concurrently displayed on PCDdisplay 806. In one embodiment, SP content window 820 is persistent, inthat SP content window 620 cannot be closed, minimized, or hidden whilethird party web page 810 is being displayed. As shown in FIG. 8, gatewayweb server 300 has an associated content database/storage 352, whichstores one or more SP content that is displayed within SP content window820. Thus, when third party web page 810 is retrieved, gateway webserver 300 concurrently retrieves SP content from content storage 352and forwards the SP content to be displayed within SP content window 820along with the third party web page 810 within PCD display 806.

In one embodiment, during the initial connection process, the userclicks a provided “web button” to open SP content window 820. Theoperating system of the PCD generally supports the display of windows.SP content window code is loaded on the PCD and generates the SP contentwindow 820 during the initial connection process. The code forgenerating SP content window 820 contains window state-sensing code 830that is written in client-side software, such as java, java-script,active-X, or other client-side software configured to run in the PCD'sweb browser. This state-sensing code 830 continually runs in thebackground of SP content window 820, and state sensing code 830 reportsback to the web server 440 about changes to the state of the SP contentwindow 820. For example, the state-sensing code 830 senses whether theSP content window 820 has been minimized, closed, or hidden.Additionally, state-sensing code 830 may be configured on most PCDs toalways display SP content window 820 “on-top” of PCD display 806 and toprevent re-sizing, closing or minimizing of SP content window 820. Inthis manner, state sensing code 830 ensures that the SP content window820 is always open and visible on the user's PCD.

As utilized herein, the term “window” (e.g., SP content window)generally refers to any structure within which the SP content may bedisplayed. The SP content “window”, for example, may be generated by aprocess such as an application (code) or an operating system executingwithin the PCD application.

In FIG. 8, SP content window 820 is illustrated as a persistent windowwithin the PCD's display. Accordingly, the SP content within SP contentwindow 820 continues to be displayed throughout the session period(i.e., the entire time in which the PCD 405 is communicatively grantedaccess to the background network/Internet via the network access system(400)), even when the PCD's web browser is closed on PCD display. In analternate embodiment, the persistence of SP content window 820 is linkedto the open status of the PCD's web browser, such that the SP contentwindow 820 is only displayed while the PCD's web browser is open. Withthis alternate embodiment, the state sensing code 830 allows the SPcontent window 820 to be hidden while the PCD's web browser is closed.

Thus, as can be seen from the above description, the embodimentillustrated by FIG. 8 overcomes the restrictions on (a) the use offramed content and (b) re-displaying content (not in its original form)without explicit permission of the site owner. The embodiment of FIG. 8may further be applied to third party web site that utilizes“frame-bursting” technology, which would prevent the above methods ofproxying and reconfiguring the third party web site from functioningproperly.

FIGS. 9 -11 are flow charts illustrating various methods by which theabove processes of displaying an SP content frame along with a thirdparty web page are completed, according to embodiments of the invention.Although the methods illustrated in FIGS. 9-11 may be described withreference to components shown in FIGS. 3-8, it should be understood thatthis is merely for convenience and alternative components and/orconfigurations thereof can be employed when implementing the variousmethods. Key portions of the methods may be completed by PWP utility 345executing within gateway web server 300 (FIG. 3) and controllingspecific operations of/on gateway web server 300, and the methods arethus described from the perspective of PWP utility 345 and gateway webserver 300.

The method of FIG. 9 begins at block 902 and proceeds to block 904 withdetection of a PCD at the access point. At block 906, the PCD isprovided the connection screens, which include connection informationand prompts for entry of user information and/or payment method (e.g.,credit card number). Notably, as provided by FIG. 11, which is describedbelow, the connections pages may also prompt the user to elect to optout of the proxied access option, which includes a persistent display ofthe SP content frame. A determination is made at block 908 whether therequired information and other inputs have been received to enableaccess beyond the firewall to the Internet. If the information is notreceived, access to the Internet is denied, as provided at block 909.

Assuming the required information is received, access to the Internet isgranted to the PCD, as shown at block 910. When the user enters arequest for a third party web page (e.g., the user browses to or clickson a link for third party web site), as determined at decision block912, the gateway web server intervenes in the web page download andproxies the web page, as shown at block 914. The gateway web server thenconcurrently displays the proxied web page on the PCDs browser alongwith SP content in a persistent SP content frame, at shown at block 916.The gateway web server continues to display all subsequent third partyweb pages as proxied web pages. The gateway web server also continues todisplay the SP content frame along with the proxied web pages, until thePCD is disconnected from the access point, as determined at block 918.The process then ends at block 920.

FIG. 10 is an operational flow diagram generally illustrating the methodfor selecting the SP content to be displayed within the SP content frame(e.g., window 620 of FIG. 6) on the PCDs browser. The method begins atblock 1002 and proceeds to block 1004 at which the content of the thirdparty web page is received at the gateway web server. At block 1006, PWPutility evaluates the content of the web page to determine thecharacteristics (dimension, text versus graphics, size and location oftext/graphics, etc.) of the received third party web page. PWP utilitythen evaluates, at block 1008, the most effective SP content (e.g.,advertisements) to utilized from the collection of SP contents available(from within the storage). In one embodiment, this evaluation mayinvolve first identifying key words within content of the third partyweb page and then linking those key words to specific SP content(advertisement), which may also be of interest to the user of the PCD.Additionally, in one embodiment, the SP content may be further filtereddown based information about the user of the PCD or the type or thelocation of the PCD. For example, if the PCD is a smart phone with asmall display screen, the type of SP content and placement of SP contentframe may be different than when the proxied web page is displayed on astandard sized laptop display.

PWP utility divides up the available display area, with a first portionof the space allocated to display the proxied web page and the remainingportion assigned to the SP content frame. The SP content frame is thenoriented to fill up the remaining portion of the display. As provided atblock 1010, PWP utility displays the proxy web page in an orientationrelative to the display screen best suited to display the content of theproxied web page. Contemporaneously with displaying the proxied webpage, the selected SP content is provided for display within the SPcontent frame, as shown at block 1012. As described above, the SPcontent frame is persistent, while the SP content may changeperiodically. When a request for a new third party web page is detected,as determined at block 1014, the method repeats the above steps(1004-1012), which determine a best orientation of the proxied web pageand selects the SP content to display with the proxied web page.

FIG. 11 is an operational flow diagram generally illustrating the methodfor enabling user selection of whether the SP content frame remains apart of the user's “access experience”. The method begins at block 1102and proceeds to block 1104 at which the PWP utility detects theconnection process. The PWP utility generates and displays the Welcomeand Selections page 500 (FIG. 5) at block 1106. The Welcome andSelections page 500 provides options for the user to select a directaccess experience (505, FIG. 5) or a proxied access experience (515,FIG. 5), which includes a persistent display of the SP content frame.The user is prompted to select one of the two (or more) options.

At block 1108, PWP utility determines whether the user selects theproxied access option 515. When PWP utility detects that the user doesnot select the proxied access option 515 (i.e., the user selects thedirect access option 505), the PWP utility relinquishes control of thePCD's Internet access (browsing) experience. PWP utility informs theuser of the higher fee being charged and applies the fee to the paymentmethod at block 1122. The user's PCD is provided direct access to theInternet and to the third party web sites, without the SP content framebeing displayed, as provided at block 1124. The process then terminatesat block 1126.

At block 1108, however, when the user has selected the proxied accessoption 515, the PWP utility applies the appropriate payment (for proxiedaccess) to the user's payment method (e.g., credit card) at block 1110.Then, the PWP utility triggers the gateway web server to proxy all thirdparty web pages requested by the user and to provide a display of boththe proxied web page and the SP content frame, as shown at block 1112.

If during the subsequent user experience, PWP utility detects an attemptby the user to close, hide, or minimize the SP content frame, asdetermined at block 1114, PWP utility prompts the user to pay the higheraccess fee for the direct access experience, as shown at block 1116. Ifthe user does not select that option (perhaps within a preset time afterthe prompt is generated) at block 1118, PWP utility prevents the SPcontent frame from being closed, hidden or minimized, as shown at block1120. However, if PWP utility detects a response indicating the useragrees to pay the higher fee for an ad-less experience, PWP utilityinforms the user of the higher fee being charged and applies the fee tothe payment method at block 1122. Then, PWP utility removes the SPcontent frame from being displayed in the PCD's browser and forwards thePCD directly to the third party web page, as shown at block 1124. Theprocess then ends at block 1126.

In one embodiment, information received about the PCD's location isutilized to determine what SP content to provide along with therequested third party web pages. Internet service providers or gatewayservice providers that provide access in public locations such ashotels, restaurants, airports, or in distributed areas around a city,may additionally provide other services to the customers based on theirknown geographic location or other known information about the customer.While described as SP content, it is understood that these servicestypically take the form of advertisements that are offered to thecustomer in the specific location. With the methods described herein,these advertising services may now be offered within the SP contentframe, throughout the entire period in which the PCD is connected (i.e.,during the entire access session), rather than in a few gateway webpages during the short period required to complete the initialconnection process.

In the flow charts above, one or more of the methods are embodied in acomputer readable medium containing computer readable code such that aseries of steps are performed when the computer readable code isexecuted on a computing device. In some implementations, certain stepsof the methods are combined, performed simultaneously or in a differentorder, or perhaps omitted, without deviating from the spirit and scopeof the invention. Thus, while the method steps are described andillustrated in a particular sequence, use of a specific sequence ofsteps is not meant to imply any limitations on the invention. Changesmay be made with regards to the sequence of steps without departing fromthe spirit or scope of the present invention. Use of a particularsequence is therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and thescope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims.

As will be further appreciated, the processes in embodiments of thepresent invention may be implemented using any combination of software,firmware or hardware. As a preparatory step to practicing the inventionin software, the programming code (whether software or firmware) willtypically be stored in one or more machine readable storage mediums suchas fixed (hard) drives, diskettes, optical disks, magnetic tape,semiconductor memories such as ROMs, PROMs, etc., thereby making anarticle of manufacture in accordance with the invention. The article ofmanufacture containing the programming code is used by either executingthe code directly from the storage device, by copying the code from thestorage device into another storage device such as a hard disk, RAM,etc., or by transmitting the code for remote execution usingtransmission type media such as digital and analog communication links.The methods of the invention may be practiced by combining one or moremachine-readable storage devices containing the code according to thepresent invention with appropriate processing hardware to execute thecode contained therein. An apparatus for practicing the invention couldbe one or more processing devices and storage systems containing orhaving network access to program(s) coded in accordance with theinvention.

Thus, it is important that while an illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention is described in the context of a fully functionalcomputer (server) system with installed (or executed) software, thoseskilled in the art will appreciate that the software aspects of anillustrative embodiment of the present invention are capable of beingdistributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and that anillustrative embodiment of the present invention applies equallyregardless of the particular type of signal bearing media used toactually carry out the distribution.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described withreference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1. A method comprising: enabling a connection between a personalcomputing device (PCD) and a gateway access system, wherein the gatewayaccess system provides access to a network; receiving a request forretrieval of a first content from the network; retrieving the firstcontent from the network and providing the first content from thegateway access system as proxied content; and transmitting, as aresponse to the request, an output, which includes the proxied contentand a second content, wherein the second content is content provided bythe gateway access system, for output in a persistent manner at the PCD.2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first content and second contentare viewable content suitable for display on the PCD, said methodfurther comprising: dividing the output into a first portion and atleast one second portion, wherein the first portion and second portionrespectively correspond to first and second areas of a PCD display,wherein the second area does not overlap the first area in the PCDdisplay; determining a specific orientation of the first portion of theoutput relative to the at least one second portion; inserting theproxied content within the first portion of the output, wherein theproxied content is transmitted to the PCD for display in a correspondingfirst area in the PCD display; and concurrently inserting the secondcontent within the at least one second portion of the output, whereinthe second content is transmitted to the PCD for display in acorresponding second area in the PCD display.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein said determining further comprises: evaluating characteristicsof the first content that identifies a size and orientation required forthe corresponding first area to properly display the first content asthe proxied content; modifying one or more characteristic of the firstcontent to generate the proxied content, wherein the proxied contentfits within the first portion of the output, while leaving the at leastone second portion of the output for insertion of the second content;selecting the second content from among available content, based on oneor more considerations, including a determination that the secondcontent fits within the at least one second portion of the output; andtransmitting both the proxied content and the second content to the PCDfor display in a selected orientation which enables both the proxiedcontent and the second content to be simultaneously displayed andviewable on the display.
 4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:placing a persistent frame within the second area, wherein the framecannot be modified, closed, hidden, or minimized by user input at thePCD so long as the proxied content is displayed; and transmitting thesecond content for output within the persistent frame in the PCDdisplay.
 5. The method of claim 2, further comprising: detecting ascrolling of the proxied content in a direction at which the secondcontent is displayed; and dynamically re-positioning the orientation ofthe second area having the second content away from the direction of thescrolling to minimize interference in viewing a section of the proxiedcontent being scrolled to.
 6. The method of claim 2, wherein theestablishing a connection further comprises: during an initialconnection process between the PCD and the gateway access system,prompting for selection of an access option from among: (a) a firstoption to enable access to and output of requested first content withoutsecond content; and (b) at least one second option, which enablesproxied access to the first content and output of proxied content alongwith second content; and when the first option is selected: enablingretrieval and output of the requested first content without concurrentoutput of second content within the output at the PCD; and if the firstoption requires payment of a fee, processing the fee prior to enablingthe access to and output of the first content without the concurrentdisplay of second content.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein when thesecond option is selected, said method further comprises: activating agateway server of the gateway access system to operate as a proxyserver; initiating an automatic proxying of requested and retrievedthird party content at the proxy server; monitoring for attempts at thePCD to minimize, hide, or close a frame containing the second content inthe PCD display; when an attempt is detected: prompting for selection ofthe first option to enable outputting the third party content withoutthe second content; and when the first option is selected: if a changeto the first option requires payment of a fee, processing the fee; andremoving the second content from the output, wherein the proxied contentand subsequently requested third party content are provided withoutinclusion of the second content within the output.
 8. The method ofclaim 7, wherein said removing comprises: (a) triggering an expansion ofthe corresponding first area to substantially fill an entire area of thePCD display, wherein the corresponding second area is no longer providedwithin the display and the second content is no longer viewable withinthe PCD display; and (b) providing direct access to the network, whereinsubsequently requested third party content is retrieved directly by thePCD and the third party content is not proxied at the gateway server. 9.The method of claim 6, wherein selection of the first option includes anassociated first fee to access the gateway access system and selectionof the second option includes a second fee to access the gateway accesssystem, and wherein said prompting for selection further comprises:enabling selection of one or more intermediate options having associatedintermediate fees between the first fee and the second fee, wherein theintermediate options provide a display of a corresponding, pre-setamount of second content within the output along with the proxiedcontent depending on an amount of an associated intermediate fee paidduring the initial connection process; and applying one of the firstfee, the second fee or the intermediate fee to a payment method providedduring the initial connection process based on which option among thefirst option, the second option, or the one or more intermediate optionis selected.
 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising enablingintermittent persistence of the second content, wherein the secondcontent is outputted at the PCD for one or more pre-set periods duringthe output of the proxied content and is hidden for remaining periodsduring the output of the proxied content, wherein the one or morepre-set periods may include an initial pre-set amount of time duringwhich the proxied content is first forwarded for outputting at the PCD.11. The method of claim 1, wherein: the gateway access system comprisesa gateway server; the network is separate from the gateway access systemand comprises (a) the Internet, to which the gateway server is connectedand (b) one or more third party content providers accessible via theInternet and which provide one or more first contents; the output is aviewable output provided on a display device of the PCD; and the firstcontent is a web page and a third party content provider is a web serveraccessible via the Internet.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein thegateway access system comprises a wireless access point, wherein the PCDconnects to the gateway access system by wireless communication with thewireless access point.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the secondcontent is an advertisement provided by one of (a) a service providerand (b) a business customer of the service provider, said method furthercomprising: tracking and recording an amount of display time allotted tothe advertisement during accesses by PCDs to the gateway access system;and automatically determining a fee to be charged for the display basedon a calculation that factors in the amount of display time allotted tothe advertisement.
 14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first contentand second content are viewable content that are outputted via a PCDdisplay, said method further comprising: selecting the second content;merging the second content into the first content to generate a singlemerged content as the proxied content, wherein the second content ismerged as persistent content within the proxied content; andtransmitting the single merged content for display on the PCD display inresponse to the request.
 15. A computer program product comprising: acomputer readable medium; and program instructions on the computerreadable medium that when executed by a processing device provides thefunctions of: enabling a connection between a personal computing device(PCD) and a gateway access system, wherein the gateway access systemprovides access to a network; receiving a request for retrieval of afirst content from the network; retrieving the first content from thenetwork and providing the first content from the gateway access systemas proxied content; and transmitting, as a response to the request, anoutput, which includes the proxied content and a second content, whereinthe second content is content provided by the gateway access system, foroutput in a persistent manner at the PCD.
 16. The computer programproduct of claim 15, wherein the first content and second content areviewable content suitable for display on the PCD, said instructionsfurther comprising instructions for: dividing the output into a firstportion and at least one second portion, wherein the first portion andsecond portion respectively correspond to first and second areas of aPCD display, wherein the second area does not overlap the first area inthe PCD display; determining a specific orientation of the first portionof the output relative to the at least one second portion; inserting theproxied content within the first portion of the output, wherein theproxied content is transmitted to the PCD for display in a correspondingfirst area in the PCD display; and concurrently inserting the secondcontent within the at least one second portion of the output, whereinthe second content is transmitted to the PCD for display in acorresponding second area in the PCD display.
 17. The computer programproduct of claim 16, wherein said instructions for determining comprisesinstructions for: evaluating characteristics of the first content thatidentifies a size and orientation required for the corresponding firstarea to properly display the first content as the proxied content;modifying one or more characteristic of the first content to generatethe proxied content, wherein the proxied content fits within the firstportion of the output, while leaving the at least one second portion ofthe output for insertion of the second content; selecting the secondcontent from among available content, based on one or moreconsiderations, including a determination that the second content fitswithin the at least one second portion of the output; and transmittingboth the proxied content and the second content to the PCD for displayin a selected orientation which enables both the proxied content and thesecond content to be simultaneously displayed and viewable on thedisplay.
 18. The computer program product of claim 16, furthercomprising instructions for: placing a persistent frame within thesecond area, wherein the frame cannot be modified, closed, hidden, orminimized by user input at the PCD so long as the proxied content isdisplayed; and transmitting the second content for output within thepersistent frame in the PCD display.
 19. The computer program product ofclaim 16, further comprising instructions for: detecting a scrolling ofthe proxied content in a direction at which the second content isdisplayed; and dynamically re-positioning the orientation of the secondarea having the second content away from the direction of the scrollingto minimize interference in viewing a section of the proxied contentbeing scrolled to.
 20. The computer program product of claim 15, whereinthe instructions for establishing a connection further comprisesinstructions for: during an initial connection process between the PCDand the gateway access system, prompting for selection of an accessoption from among: (a) a first option to enable access to and output ofrequested first content without second content; and (b) at least onesecond option, which enables proxied access to the first content andoutput of proxied content along with second content; and when the firstoption is selected: enabling retrieval and output of the requested firstcontent without concurrent output of second content within the output atthe PCD; and if the first option requires payment of a fee, processingthe fee prior to enabling the access to and output of the first contentwithout the concurrent display of second content.
 21. The computerprogram product of claim 20, wherein when the second option is selected,said instructions further comprises instructions for: activating agateway server of the gateway access system to operate as a proxyserver; initiating an automatic proxying of requested and retrievedthird party content at the proxy server; monitoring for attempts at thePCD to minimize, hide, or close a frame containing the second content inthe PCD display; when an attempt is detected: prompting for selection ofthe first option to enable outputting the third party content withoutthe second content; and when the first option is selected: if a changeto the first option requires payment of a fee, processing the fee; andremoving the second content from the output, wherein the proxied contentand subsequently requested third party content are provided withoutinclusion of the second content within the output.
 22. The computerprogram product of claim 21, wherein said instructions for removingcomprises instructions for: (a) triggering an expansion of thecorresponding first area to fill an entire area of the PCD display,wherein the corresponding second area is no longer provided within thedisplay and the second content is no longer viewable within the PCDdisplay; and (b) providing direct access to the network, whereinsubsequently requested third party content is retrieved directly by thePCD and the third party content is not proxied at the gateway server.23. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein selection of thefirst option includes an associated first fee to access the gatewayaccess system and selection of the second option includes a second feeto access the gateway access system, and wherein said instructions forprompting for selection further comprises instructions for: enablingselection of one or more intermediate options having associatedintermediate fees between the first fee and the second fee, wherein theintermediate options provide a display of a corresponding, pre-setamount of second content within the output along with the proxiedcontent depending on an amount of an associated intermediate fee paidduring the initial connection process; and applying one of the firstfee, the second fee or the intermediate fee to a payment method providedduring the initial connection process based on which option among thefirst option, the second option, or the one or more intermediate optionis selected.
 24. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein saidinstructions further comprises instructions for enabling intermittentpersistence of the second content, wherein the second content isoutputted at the PCD for one or more pre-set periods during the outputof the proxied content and is hidden for remaining periods during theoutput of the proxied content, wherein the one or more pre-set periodsmay include an initial pre-set amount of time during which the proxiedcontent is first forwarded for outputting at the PCD.
 25. The computerprogram product of claim 15, wherein: the gateway access systemcomprises a wireless access point, wherein the PCD connects to thegateway access system by wireless communication with the wireless accesspoint; the gateway access system comprises a gateway server; the networkis separate from the gateway access system and comprises (a) theInternet, to which the gateway server is connected and (b) one or morethird party content providers accessible via the Internet and whichprovide one or more first contents; the output is a viewable outputprovided on a display device of the PCD; and the first content is a webpage and a third party content provider is a web server accessible viathe Internet.
 26. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein thesecond content is an advertisement provided by one of (a) a serviceprovider and (b) a business customer of the service provider, saidinstructions further comprising instructions for: tracking and recordingan amount of display time allotted to the advertisement during accessesby PCDs to the gateway access system; and automatically determining afee to be charged for the display based on a calculation that factors inthe amount of display time allotted to the advertisement.
 27. Thecomputer program product of claim 15, wherein the first content andsecond content are viewable content that are outputted via a PCDdisplay, said instructions further comprising instructions for:selecting the second content; merging the second content into the firstcontent to generate a single merged content as the proxied content,wherein the second content is merged as persistent content within theproxied content; and transmitting the single merged content for displayon the PCD display in response to the request.
 28. In a networkenvironment having, a system comprising: a processor that executedprogram instructions; a memory coupled to the processor and within whichsaid program instructions may be stored; means for interconnecting thesystem to a second computing device within the distributed networkenvironment; means for enabling a connection between a personalcomputing device (PCD) and a gateway access system, wherein the gatewayaccess system provides access to a network; means for receiving arequest for retrieval of a first content from the network; means forretrieving the first content from the network and providing the firstcontent from the gateway access system as proxied content; and means fortransmitting, as a response to the request, an output, which includesthe proxied content and a second content, wherein the second content iscontent provided by the gateway access system, for output in apersistent manner at the PCD.
 29. The system of claim 28, wherein thefirst content and second content are viewable content suitable fordisplay on the PCD, said system further comprising: means for dividingthe output into a first portion and at least one second portion, whereinthe first portion and second portion respectively correspond to firstand second areas of a PCD display, wherein the second area does notoverlap the first area in the PCD display; means for determining aspecific orientation of the first portion of the output relative to theat least one second portion; means for inserting the proxied contentwithin the first portion of the output, wherein the proxied content istransmitted to the PCD for display in a corresponding first area in thePCD display; and means for concurrently inserting the second contentwithin the at least one second portion of the output, wherein the secondcontent is transmitted to the PCD for display in a corresponding secondarea in the PCD display.
 30. The system of claim 29, wherein said meansfor determining further comprises: means for evaluating characteristicsof the first content that identifies a size and orientation required forthe corresponding first area to properly display the first content asthe proxied content; means for modifying one or more characteristic ofthe first content to generate the proxied content, wherein the proxiedcontent fits within the first portion of the output, while leaving theat least one second portion of the output for insertion of the secondcontent; means for selecting the second content from among availablecontent, based on one or more considerations, including a determinationthat the second content fits within the at least one second portion ofthe output; and means for transmitting both the proxied content and thesecond content to the PCD for display in a selected orientation whichenables both the proxied content and the second content to besimultaneously displayed and viewable on the display.
 31. The system ofclaim 29, further comprising: means for placing a persistent framewithin the second area, wherein the frame cannot be modified, closed,hidden, or minimized by user input at the PCD so long as the proxiedcontent is displayed; and means for transmitting the second content foroutput within the persistent frame in the PCD display.
 32. The system ofclaim 29, further comprising: means for detecting a scrolling of theproxied content in a direction at which the second content is displayed;and means for dynamically re-positioning the orientation of the secondarea having the second content away from the direction of the scrollingto minimize interference in viewing a section of the proxied contentbeing scrolled to.
 33. The system of claim 28, wherein the means forestablishing a connection further comprises: during an initialconnection process between the PCD and the gateway access system, meansfor prompting for selection of an access option from among: (a) a firstoption to enable access to and output of requested first content withoutsecond content; and (b) at least one second option, which enablesproxied access to the first content and output of proxied content alongwith second content; and when the first option is selected: means forenabling retrieval and output of the requested first content withoutconcurrent output of second content within the output at the PCD; andmeans, if the first option requires payment of a fee, for processing thefee prior to enabling the access to and output of the first contentwithout the concurrent display of second content.
 34. The system ofclaim 33, wherein when the second option is selected, said systemfurther comprises: means for activating a gateway server of the gatewayaccess system to operate as a proxy server; means for initiating anautomatic proxying of requested and retrieved third party content at theproxy server; means for monitoring for attempts at the PCD to minimize,hide, or close a frame containing the second content in the PCD display;when an attempt is detected: means for prompting for selection of thefirst option to enable outputting the third party content without thesecond content; and when the first option is selected: means, if achange to the first option requires payment of a fee, for processing thefee; and means for removing the second content from the output, whereinthe proxied content and subsequently requested third party content areprovided without inclusion of the second content within the output. 35.The system of claim 34, wherein said means for removing comprises: (a)means for triggering an expansion of the corresponding first area tofill an entire area of the PCD display, wherein the corresponding secondarea is no longer provided within the display and the second content isno longer viewable within the PCD display; and (b) means for providingdirect access to the network, wherein subsequently requested third partycontent is retrieved directly by the PCD and the third party content isnot proxied at the gateway server.
 36. The system of claim 33, whereinselection of the first option includes an associated first fee to accessthe gateway access system and selection of the second option includes asecond fee to access the gateway access system, and wherein said meansfor prompting for selection further comprises: means for enablingselection of one or more intermediate options having associatedintermediate fees between the first fee and the second fee, wherein theintermediate options provide a display of a corresponding, pre-setamount of second content within the output along with the proxiedcontent depending on an amount of an associated intermediate fee paidduring the initial connection process; and means for applying one of thefirst fee, the second fee or the intermediate fee to a payment methodprovided during the initial connection process based on which optionamong the first option, the second option, or the one or moreintermediate option is selected.
 37. The system of claim 28, furthercomprising means for enabling intermittent persistence of the secondcontent, wherein the second content is outputted at the PCD for one ormore pre-set periods during the output of the proxied content and ishidden for remaining periods during the output of the proxied content,wherein the one or more pre-set periods may include an initial pre-setamount of time during which the proxied content is first forwarded foroutputting at the PCD.
 38. The system of claim 28, wherein: the gatewayaccess system comprises a wireless access point, wherein the PCDconnects to the gateway access system by wireless communication with thewireless access point. the gateway access system comprises a gatewayserver; the network is separate from the gateway access system andcomprises (a) the Internet, to which the gateway server is connected and(b) one or more third party content providers accessible via theInternet and which provide one or more first contents; the output is aviewable output provided on a display device of the PCD; and the firstcontent is a web page and a third party content provider is a web serveraccessible via the Internet.
 39. The system of claim 28, wherein furtherthe second content is an advertisement provided by one of (a) a serviceprovider and (b) a business customer of the service provider, saidsystem further comprising: means for tracking and recording an amount ofdisplay time allotted to the advertisement during accesses by PCDs tothe gateway access system; and means for automatically determining a feeto be charged for the display based on a calculation that factors in theamount of display time allotted to the advertisement.
 40. The system ofclaim 28, wherein the first content and second content are viewablecontent that are outputted via a display of the PCD, said system furthercomprising: means for selecting the second content; means for mergingthe second content into the first content to generate a single mergedcontent as the proxied content, wherein the second content is merged aspersistent content within the proxied content; and means fortransmitting the single merged content for display on the PCD inresponse to the request.